The
Iron Age site at Thorpe Thewles was identified from an aerial photograph
taken in 1976 by Leslie Still. In this image the crop has stayed
greener for longer over buried ditches where the soil has a higher
moisture content. Also visible is a circular drip-gully that surrounded
a large central roundhouse.

Between
1980 and 1982 Cleveland County Archaeology Section excavated over
50% of the enclosure. The ditch forming the enclosure was over 3
metres wide and 2 metres deep and the considerable upcast had been
used to form a bank, probably on the inside. The bank would have
been capped with either a stout wooden fence or a thick set hedge
to protect the community’s livestock from bad weather and marauding
wolves, wild boars and brown bears, then still native to the north
of England.

At
the centre of the enclosure was a large central roundhouse. This
was extremely complex due to several phases of construction and
there is evidence to show that the house was rebuilt at least twice.
A substantial drainage ditch, over 1.5 metres wide, surrounded the
house which was 13m in diameter. The house would have had a frame
of timber posts with wattle and daub walls with a thatched conical
roof. The building probably stood for 70-100 years before it was
destroyed by fire.

Initially
this house would have been grouped with one or two ancillary buildings
but most of the interior of the enclosure was given over to the
livestock.

As
time went on the population increased and more and more structures
were built within the enclosure. Eventually the enclosure ditch
was backfilled and the site assumed an open character. The settlement
by this stage no longer resembled a defended farmstead but would
be much closer to a village in size, density and complexity.

The
settlement at Thorpe Thewles is particularly important as it was
especially productive in terms of animal and environmental remains.
This demonstrated that cattle were the principal livestock which
would provide beef, milk, leather, horn, bone and manure. Sheep
were also common and would have provided a source of wool to the
local economy. Carbonised seeds were present showing that the principal
crops were spelt wheat and six-row hulled barley.

In
two cases horses skulls had been deliberately buried suggesting
some form of ritual deposition.

The
majority of the finds from the site were domestic in nature, including
pottery and quern stones (for milling grain). However a fragment
of a gold-wire object, probably an earring, proved a more exotic
find. This was probably a continental import of the 1 st century
AD.

The
settlement was abandoned shortly after the Roman Conquest of the
north of England at around 80AD.

Further
Information

The now out-of-print report on the excavations can be downloaded
in full from the Archaeology Data Service. Please use the link below
(you will need to accept the ADS terms and conditions in order to
view the report). For general information on the Iron Age in the
area please download our free 'Iron Age Teesside' booklet.
Younger readers might enjoy building our downloadable 'cut-out'
Iron Age Roundhouse or trying our colouring sheet.